Multi-combination vehicle incorporating a power trailer

ABSTRACT

A multi-combination vehicle or road-train consisting of a powered prime mover, at least one powered trailer and which may include a number of non-powered trailers. The powered trailer includes a cooling system separated from the engine to provide improved cooling and enabling the road-train to be used in confined areas, such as in underground mines. Preferably, the cooling system is located at the rear of the powered trailer. The engines of the prime mover and powered trailer(s) are preferably controlled either by manual controls in the truck cab.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/951,103, filed Sep. 13, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,839 B2, whichclaims benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/418,080, filed Oct. 14,1999, now abandoned.

The present invention is directed to multi-combination vehicles thatcarry payloads and where the power-to-weight ratio of the vehicles needto be maintained at an acceptable level through the use of additionalpower sources or engines mounted on a power trailer and operativelycoupled to the primary engine found in such vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mined payloads, such as various metal ores, are typically transportedabove ground or through the tunnels of an underground mine by either arailway trains including a locomotive and one or more cars operating ona fixed system of railway tracks, or rigid body, load-carrying trucks.Although each known system may be advantageously utilized in certainapplications, they are both subject to various disadvantages.

A railway system, especially one underground, is relatively expensive toinstall and operate due to the cost of acquiring the locomotive andinstalling the fixed railway system and the associated maintenancecosts. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, an underground railwaysystem is route-specific and therefore not flexible to changes in routewithout incurring the expense of installing additional railway tracks.Underground mines typically have several mining areas, which may occuron multiple levels within the mine. The mined product, such as ore, istypically transported from each mining area to a common receiving area,and then through one or more vertical chutes connecting different levelsof the mine if required, to a central processing area where the ore isprocessed, or sufficiently crushed. The ore is then typically removedfrom the mine through a single vertical shaft extending to the surface.A single ore crusher and associated shaft is typically used due to theprohibitive costs associated with drilling a shaft from the surface tothe mining area deep below the ground. As each new mining area opens, itis necessary to incur the cost of installing new track for the railwaysystem, or to use supplemental vehicles to haul the ore from the miningarea to the end of the railway track system.

Rigid body load-carrying trucks, such as wheeled dump trucks, are notroute-specific since they are capable of traveling over various roadwayswithin the mine between various origination and destination points.However, known trucks of this type are typically designed for haulingloads over relatively short distances and rough terrain, such as thatwhich may be experienced in above ground applications. Accordingly, suchtrucks are typically designed with relatively large tires for relativelyslow speed operation and are relatively expensive to operate andmaintain due to fuel and tire costs. The efficiency of these vehiclestypically decreases as the hauling distance increases. In addition, asingle rigid body truck of this type has a significantly lower payloadcapacity as compared to the multi-combination vehicle of the presentinvention. They are therefore not suitable for hauling ore greatdistances away from the mine, limiting the distance that ore can betransported to a local processing plant at reasonable cost.

Another difficulty with these types of dump trucks are that the roadsconstructed in underground mines are typically blacktop roads that arenot designed to carry excessive loads. Wheeled dump trucks with largetires carry a significant loading per axle, up to 33 tons per axle, andare prone to tearing up of blacktop roads, thereby precluding their use.In lieu of blacktop roads, clay and gravel roads are used that must begrated and treated with water for safety purposes, i.e. to keep downdust from the road. Other problems with articulated dump trucks are thatthey have poor power-to-weight ratios and, with low engine efficiency, asignificant amount of hot air per ton of ore hauled is exhausted intothe mine. Cold ventilation air has to be continually pumped into themine via ventilation shafts. One of the major costs in establishingunderground mines is thus the construction and drilling of ventilationshafts. The excess heat produced by dump trucks means that the time thatthey can operate underground is limited. Since the dump trucks moverelatively slowly, and the inclination within underground mines isusually constant, the depth of mine accessible by these dump trucks islimited, typically to a depth of up to six hundred meters.

Multi-combination vehicles, such as over-the-road vehicles, are knownand include a prime mover coupled to a plurality of trailers andconverter dollies. Typically these vehicles have a single power source,generally a diesel engine, and are limited in gross combination mass to200–230 tons. These multi-combination vehicles, commonly referred to as“road-trains” have been in use for some time, particularly in Australia,for the purpose of hauling mined products, or the commodities of otherindustries, over above ground roadways. Conventional “road-trains” aretypically designed for use at relatively high speed and on relativelyflat ground, and are therefore not capable of hauling loads out ofunderground mines for the following reasons.

Due to the heavy loads of the road-train combination, the tractionprovided by the wheels of a road-train, usually provided to two rearaxles, is insufficient for any realistic gradient found in undergroundmine roads. Alternatively, the roads from underground mines would haveto be constructed at a much gentler slope leading to excessively longtunnels. In addition, the relatively low speed of the road-trainsunderground due to the size of the tunnels and safety considerationsresult in road-trains traveling underground for a significant length oftime, even up to an hour in some cases. This places strain on theroad-train cooling system that is typically designed for road-trainstraveling at significant speeds, generally more than 80 km/h and theengines generally overheat.

There have been several proposals in relation to vehicles where there isan increase in its traction, including hydraulically driven axles andmechanically linked axles while using a single power source. Otherproposals have included the use of a separate engine placed on the dollyor trailer that assists in pulling the load. Although vehicles having atrailer with an additional engine are known, these have been found to beuseful only for providing short term bursts of power to the road-trainas a whole and are not suitable for long-term hauling especially out ofunderground mines for the following reasons. Firstly, the additionalengines are mounted on top of the trailer or dolly, reducing the usablevolume of the road-train for ore or load carrying. Secondly, theseadditional engines are not accommodated within the existing chassisstructure of current road-trains and are therefore not road-legal.Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, these additional engines onceagain have standard cooling mechanisms that have been found to beinsufficient when the road-train has been traveling up a gradient for arelatively long time at a relatively slow speed. Even if a road-trainhaving a single power source was used on flat roads within theunderground mine, the slow speed that the vehicle is limited to travelresults in the road-train's engine overheating.

Multi-combination vehicles for dedicated road haulage tasks, such asmineral concentrate haulage, are currently operating at GrossCombination Mass (GCM) up to 230 tons. However, there is a practicallimit to the GCM of the multi-combination vehicle with a single primemover. The cost of haulage is determined mainly on weight. If one cantherefore increase the total haulage that can be moved by a single primemover that does not require additional operators, the cost benefit issubstantial, especially if ore can be hauled directly from within a minewithout needing to be reloaded onto another transport system.

The inventor is unaware of any known above-ground or under-ground,road-legal multi-combination vehicle of the type just described, whichis capable of gaining access to an underground mine and operating withinthe profiles of the mine as typically exists in underground minesthroughout the world. The inventor is further unaware of any aboveground road-legal multi-combination vehicle that is capable of operatingnormally without unnecessarily loading the primary engine of suchvehicles.

In view of the foregoing disadvantages and limitations associated withknown load-carrying vehicles, a commercial need exists for an improvedload-carrying vehicle for use both above ground and in underground minesthat overcomes at least some of the abovementioned problems or providesthe public with a useful alternative.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses an additional motive powersource for use with a prime mover, advantageously located within thechassis of a trailer and including a unique cooling mechanism thatenables operation of the road-train at low speeds and steeper gradientsthan hitherto known.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, in one aspect of the invention there is proposed amulti-combination vehicle for use in transporting a product overroadways, said vehicle including:

a powered towing unit having a chassis, a forward, wheeled steering axlesuspended from said chassis and a rear axle assembly having at least onewheeled axle and suspended from said chassis by a rear suspensionsystem, said wheeled axles supporting the powered unit for movement overthe roadways, wherein at least one of said wheeled axles comprises adriving axle, said powered towing unit further including a source ofmotive power mounted on said chassis and means for transmitting torquefrom said source of motive power to said at least one driving axle;

a power trailer mechanically coupled to said powered towing unit andincluding a chassis, a load-carrying body mounted on and disposed abovesaid chassis, and at least one wheeled, driven axle supporting the powertrailer for movement over the roadways, said at least one wheeled,driven axle being suspended from said chassis of said power trailer,said power trailer including a source of motive power mounted on saidchassis and means for transmitting torque from said source of motivepower to said at least one driving axle;

said powered trailer further including a cooling means mounted on saidchassis and in fluid communication with said motive power source;

said powered towing unit further including an engine control meanslocated in a cab of said unit;

said power trailer further including an engine control means located insaid powered towing unit cab.

Preferably, the cooling means is located at the rear of said poweredtrailer.

In another embodiment, the cooling means is located at the side of saidpowered trailer.

In another embodiment, the cooling means is located at the front of saidpowered trailer.

Preferably, the torques of the powered unit control means and thepowered trailer engine control means are synchronized so that when thetorque of the powered unit engine is increased so is proportionally thetorque of the powered trailer engine.

Preferably, the dual-potentiometer accelerator pedal is the controlmeans of both the powered towing unit and the powered trailer.

Preferably, the powered trailer includes a load-carrying body mountedand disposed above said chassis.

Preferably, the powered towing unit is a rigid body truck and saidsource of motive power is an internal combustion engine and said meansfor transferring torque includes a transmission.

Preferably, the powered trailer source of motive power is an internalcombustion engine and said means for transferring torque includes atransmission.

Preferably, the powered trailer control means is a manual hand throttlelocated in the powered towing unit.

Preferably, located between the powered towing unit and the poweredtrailer is a first trailer, said powered trailer mechanically coupled tosaid first trailer.

In a further form of the invention there is proposed a multi-combinationvehicle including:

a prime mover including a first engine located on said prime mover;

a trailer mechanically coupled to said prime mover and including asecond engine located on said trailer;

a control means adapted to operatively couple the first and secondengine sources;

said trailer further including a cooling means separated from saidsecond engine.

Preferably, the control means is a calibrated dual-potentiometeraccelerator pedal controlling the torque output of each engine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several implementations of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theadvantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation drawing of a multi-combination vehicleincorporating a power trailer according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power trailer according to a firstembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a power trailer according to asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a power trailer according to asecond embodiment having a cooling means located at the rear of thetrailer;

FIG. 5 is a right hand side view of a power trailer of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a left hand side view of a power trailer of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a rear of a power trailerembodying the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a rear of a power trailerembodying the present invention and including a protective sheath;

FIG. 9 is a left hand side view of a power trailer according to thepresent invention having the cooling means located at the front of thetrailer;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a power trailer embodying thepresent invention and having cooling means located both the at front andthe rear of said power trailer;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation drawing of a multi-combination vehicleincorporating several power trailer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an acceleratorpedal control controlling two engines;

FIG. 13 is a partial exploded view of the internal configuration of thepedal control of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a typical control panel used to controlthe power trailer engine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following detailed description of the invention refers to theaccompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplaryembodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made tothe embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will beused throughout the drawings and the following description to refer tothe same and like parts.

Turning now to the drawings in detail there is shown in FIG. 1 amulti-combination vehicle 10 including a prime mover 12 mechanicallycoupled to a plurality of trailers 14. A power trailer 16 extends fromforwardly located trailers 14 and a further trailer 14 is coupled to thepower trailer 16. A second power trailer 18 is coupled to the lasttrailer 14. It is however to be understood that the multi-vehiclecombination may include one or more power trailers, depending on theapplication.

The prime mover 12 includes a chassis or frame 20 and a rear axleassembly 22, which is suspended from and disposed below the chassis 18.Forward axle 24 comprises the steering axle of the prime mover 12. Therear axle assembly 22 is suspended from chassis 18 via an air suspension26 and includes wheeled axles 28. Both of the wheeled axles may bedriving axles, or alternatively only one is a driven axle. The drivingaxles may be a tridem axle assembly in lieu of the tandem axle assembly22 and possible suspended with a mechanical suspension.

The prime mover 12 further includes a motive power source 30 and atransmission (not shown) for transmitting torque from the motive powersource 30 to the drive axles 28. Typically, the source of motive powercomprises a diesel engine (usually turbocharged or supercharged) and thetransmission for transmitting torque from the engine 30 to the driveaxles 28 includes a gearbox, a drive shaft and a differential (notshown). Alternatively, the source of the motive power 30 may compriseother types of internal combustion engines utilizing a variety of fuels.As yet another alternative the source of motive power 30 may comprise anelectric motor with the transmission transmitting torque comprising asuitable coupling interconnecting the electric motor and axle assembly.

The prime mover further includes a draw frame 32 attached and rearwardlyextending from the chassis 20. A coupling 34 is attached to the rear ofthe draw frame and connected with a drawbar 36 on the trailer. A bin 38accommodates payload to be carried by the prime mover and may be adaptedto be side tipping by hingedly attached to the frame 20 (not shown).

Each of the trailers 14 includes a converter dolly 40 and a semi-trailer42, having a rear axle assembly 44, a forward end with a coupling system46 that pivotably attaches to a ball-race turntable 48 on the converterdolly. This enables the converter dolly to pivot relative to thesemi-trailer about a generally vertical axis of rotation passing throughthe centre of the ball-race turntable. Other embodiments may howeverequally well be used, such as an oscillating ball-race turntable. Thedrawbar 36 is hingedly connected to the chassis 50 of the converterdolly 40 and accommodates for any change in the grade of the roadsurface. As with the prime mover, the trailer further includes a drawframe 32 attached and rearwardly extending from the chassis 42. Acoupling 34 is attached to the rear of the draw frame 32 and isconnected with a drawbar 36 on the next trailer or power trailer. A bin38 accommodates payload to be carried by the trailer and may be adaptedto be side tipping by hingedly attached to the frame 52 (not shown).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the semi-trailer of the powered 16 includesa chassis or frame 52 which includes a pair of longitudinally extendingside members or beams 54 and a plurality of transverse cross-members 56interconnecting and attached to the side members 54. The semi-trailerincludes a rear axle assembly 58 that is suspended from chassis 52 by anair suspension 60. Alternatively, the semi-trailer 42 may include aconventional mechanical spring assembly. The two side members support orform part of the load carrying structure such as bin 38. The loadcarrying structure may be a side tipping trailer, a stock crate, a fueltank or type of structure for supporting a load. As with the prime moverand the trailer, the powered trailer further includes a draw frame 32attached and rearwardly extending from the chassis 52. A coupling 34 isattached to the rear of the draw frame 32 and connected with a drawbar36 on the next trailer or powered trailer and may be adapted to beside-tipping by hingedly attached to the frame 52 (not shown).

The rear axle wheel assembly 58 includes wheeled axles 62. Extendingabove said wheeled axles are bearing members 64 that may be used tosupport mudguards and the like (not shown). In an alternative form, theaxle assembly may be a tandem assembly in lieu of the tridem axleassembly. The wheeled axles include a plurality of tires 66 mountedthereon for supporting the semi-trailer as it travels over a roadsurface.

Mounted below the upper surface of the chassis 52 is a motive powersource or engine 68 (also referred to as the secondary engine)positioned generally centrally between and extending under the sidemembers 54 and the chassis. A transmission (not shown) provides drivingpower from the engine to the axle assembly 58 where one or more of thewheeled axles 62 may be driven. The engine is typically a diesel engineand may be advantageously include a turbocharger 70. To be able to fitthe engine in between the side members, the spatial distance between thetwo is generally larger than that conventionally found on existingsemi-trailers. However, the standard width of the wheeled axles is keptthe same to keep the vehicle roadworthy. This has been achieved bymounting the suspension 60 under said side members rather than on theirside.

The engine 68 includes a radiator 72 to assist in cooling the engine bycooling the engine coolant. The radiator is mounted away from theengine. In one embodiment, the radiator is mounted on the side of theengine, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This has significant advantagesin relation to extracting heat from the coolant in contrast to typicalradiators that are mounted at the front of the engine. The lack ofsufficient cooling of the coolant has been found to be one of the mostsignificant problems in the use of trucks and/or powered trailers inareas such as underground mines. Current engine designs having radiatorsmounted at the front of an engine block have been found to be unsuitablefor use with powered trailers for several reasons.

Firstly, once air has passed through the radiator, it flows over theengine itself and thereby provides additional cooling. However, if thecoolant operates at high temperatures, than the air flowing over theengine itself will already be quite warm and even hot, and will providelimited additional cooling for the engine and may even keep it hot. Thisis an undesirable result especially where the airflow is quite low, suchas when operating at slow speeds in an underground mine. Secondly, andperhaps more importantly, the radiator and its assembly needs to be of aminimum size to provide sufficient surface are for cooling for thecoolant, especially when the road-train is moving at relatively slowspeeds up an incline for a significant period of time working the enginequite hard. The constrained space underneath a trailer chassis is simplynot large enough for mounting a radiator having a sufficiently largesurface area.

These disadvantages have been overcome by positioning the radiator awayform the engine. In the first instance, this is achieved by placing theradiator at an angle on the side of the engine, in accordance with afirst embodiment of the invention. The airflow through the radiator thendoes not flow over the engine. Secondly, positioning the radiator on theside of the engine in a powered trailer exposes the radiator toundisturbed air. In addition, by angling the radiator, the total size ofthe radiator can be sufficiently large to provide for the needed coolingeven when the road-train is moving at relatively slow speeds.

The power trailer further includes a turbocharger air cooler 74 thatcools the air injected into the engine. That is mounted on the oppositeside of the general radiator 72 and is thus also exposed to undisturbedairflow.

The person skilled in the art will appreciate that in a conventionalcooling system where the radiator and air cooler are mounted at thefront of the vehicle the radiator has insufficient capacity tosufficiently cool the coolant of the engine. Furthermore, the airflowthrough the radiator then flows onto the engine effectively heating it,which is also undesirable. Use of a conventional engine design in apower trailer is therefore not suitable.

The present invention teaches that to achieve a sufficient flow throughof air through the radiator 72 and the turbocharger air cooler 74 on thepower trailer 14, the radiator 72 and the air cooler 74 are positionedexternally of said side members 54, with the outer edge of the radiator76 and the outer edge of the turbocharger air cooler 78 not extendingbeyond the outer extent or foot-print of the power trailer. This ensuresthat the radiator 72 and turbocharger air cooler 74 are protected.

Depending on the capacity of the engine, a minimum square area of theradiator and turbocharger air cooler is required. Typically, eachhorsepower of an engine requires around 10 cm² of radiator andturbocharger air cooler area. To achieve this in the space provided,both the radiator and the turbocharger air cooler are positioned at anappropriate angle to the longitudinal axis of the side members 54, theangle depending on the size of the radiator and turbocharger air coolerrequired for the size of the engine. To further assist in providing anairflow through the radiator and/or turbocharger air cooler an air fan(not shown) may be provided. Typically, air fans are hydraulicallydriven.

Illustrated in FIGS. 3–6 is a powered trailer according to analternative embodiment of the present invention. A powered trailer 80includes a chassis or frame 52 including a pair of longitudinallyextending side members or beams 54 and a plurality of transversecross-members (as illustrated in FIG. 2) interconnecting and attached tothe side members 54. The powered trailer includes a rear axle assembly58 that is suspended from chassis 52 by a suspension 80. The sidemembers support load-carrying bin 38. The bin 38 in this embodiment isillustrated as a side-tipping trailer. It is, however, to be understoodthat it is not intended to limit the invention to any particular type ofload carrying structure. As with the prime mover and an ordinarytrailer, the powered trailer further includes a draw frame 32 attachedand rearwardly extending from the chassis 52. A coupling 34 is attachedto the rear of the draw frame 32 and connected with a drawbar 36 on thenext trailer or powered trailer and may be adapted to be side-tipping byhingedly attached to the frame 52 (not shown).

The rear axle wheel assembly 58 includes wheeled axles 62. Extendingabove said wheeled axles are bearing members 64 that may be used tosupport mudguards 82. The wheeled axles include a plurality of tyres 66mounted thereon for supporting the power trailer as it travels over aroad surface.

Mounted below the upper surface of the chassis 52 is an engine 68(“secondary engine”) positioned generally centrally between the sidemembers 54 and the chassis. A transmission 84 provides driving powerfrom the engine to the axle assembly 58 where one or more of the wheeledaxles 62 may be driven. The engine is typically a diesel engine andincludes a turbocharger located behind a turbocharger air-cooling unit74.

The engine 68 is supplied combusting air through an air inlet 86 locatedat the front of the power trailer and including appropriate filters tofilter the air. The filtered air is then fed through to the engine viaair pipe 88. Exhaust gases are vented from the engine through exhaustoutlet 90.

The engine includes a radiator 92 to assist in cooling the engine byusing an appropriate cooling fluid or coolant. In this particularadvantageous embodiment the engine cooling means or the radiator 92 ismounted at the rear of the power trailer on top of frame 52 that extendsfurther rearwardly. Typically, the length of the frame would be extendedto accommodate the radiator positioned along the frame. However, theframe may very well remain the same length as in conventional trailers,but the length of the bin 38 would be shortened to provide sufficientspace to accommodate the radiator.

The radiator includes coolant coils 94 mounted in a housing 96. An airfan 98 is mounted behind the coils 94 and is driven so as to draw airthrough the coils. Located in front of the coils is a grill 100 to offersome protection to the coils from damage by debris. The air fantypically includes a hydraulic motor 102 driven by the supply ofhydraulic fluid through conduits 104 and 106. The air fan is also housedin a protective grill 108 and is supported in position by support bars110 extending between the top and bottom of the housing 96.

Coolant is supplied to the radiator through inlet pipe 112 and back tothe engine through outlet pipe 114. The significant distance between theradiator and the engine means that the length of pipes transporting thecoolant is quite long. This in itself provides an advantage in that thevolume of coolant for the engine system has been greatly increased ascompared to conventional engine designs where the radiator located infront of the engine. The volume of the pipes effectively acts as a largecoolant store.

Located around the engine are various compartments 116 and 118 thathouse the necessary control and sensing equipment for the engine such asengine starting controls and diagnostic instruments. Typically thesesystems include communication means with the prime mover so that thedriver is kept advised as to the general status of the power trailerengine.

Power trailer fuel tanks 120 are located above the right hand side ofthe rear axle 58 and also act as pseudo mudguards. Side-tippinghydraulic arms 122 and 124 are provided at the front and rear of the binrespectively whilst arms 126 and 128 control opening the side of thebin.

In some circumstances it may be advantageous to also mount theturbocharger cooling means away from the engine and at the rear of thepowered trailer. This is illustrated in FIG. 7, wherein the turbochargerair cooling unit 74 is placed on the opposite side of the air fan 98 andwhere the flow of air 130 is directed so that the air is first drawnthrough the turbocharger cooling means 74 by the fan 98 and then forcedthrough the radiator coils 94.

The power trailer according to the present invention may also be used totransport loads above ground and over significant distances. Operatingabove ground on existing road ways allows road-trains using a powertrailer to travel at relatively large velocities. When moving atvelocities around or greater than 50–60 km/h the airflow over theradiator coils is sufficient to provide adequate cooling without the useof air fans. However, the radiator coils have to receive anuninterrupted airflow and positioning the radiator underneath thechassis is not appropriate for the reasons already discussed. Analternative embodiment where an air fan may not be required isillustrated in FIG. 8. The radiator 130 is oriented so that it liesperpendicularly across the chassis or side members 54 of the powertrailer and is positioned at the end of the frame 52, there being aphysical separation between the radiator and the end of the bin 38. Anair scoop 132 extends from the back of the bin to the radiator. Thescoop includes a top 134, corners 136 and sides 138 configured to directthe airflow over the radiator. Sides 138 extend angularly and outwardlyfrom the radiator terminating in ends 140 that taper downwardly to thetop of mudguard 82. Those skilled in the art can immediately appreciatethat as the vehicle is travelling at speed the power-trailer sweeps airthat is then re-directed over the radiator coils to provide for thecooling.

At times it may be desirable to locate the radiator at the front of thepowered trailer, for example, if the trailer bin was to be rear tipping.Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 9, wherein frame 52 isextended at the front of the trailer to accommodate radiator 92. Theconfiguration of the radiator is the same as that illustrated in FIGS.3–6. The orientation of the radiator is also kept the same, that is, theair fan is located on the left hand side of the radiator as one isfacing in the forward direction of the powered trailer. The radiatorwill generally face towards the middle of the road as the power traileris being driven on common roads. Thus, in countries such as Australiawhere vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road, the radiatorfaces right so that air drawn through the radiator by the fan is fromthe centre of the road and not from the edge of the road where dust anddebris may have been stirred up by passage of the road-train.Conversely, in countries such as the United States where one drives onthe right hand side of the road, the radiator would typically face tothe left so that clean air is drawn through the radiator.

The use of a radiator remotely mounted from the engine providessignificant advantages over known prior art. As discussed above, thesurface area of a radiator required depends on the total horsepower ofthe engine as well as how hard the engine is working. Diesel enginesprovide large torques and when travelling at a slow speed such as in anunderground mine, an engine working at full capacity providessignificant motive power to the drive wheels when geared down throughthe transmission system.

If the power trailer carried a significant load, it may even bedesirable to have two cooling systems. Such an embodiment is illustratedin FIG. 10, wherein the power trailer includes a front radiator 142 anda rear radiator 144. The front radiator 142 is mounted to lieperpendicularly across the frame 52, whilst the rear one is mountedlongitudinally along the chassis. Other constructional details of eachof the radiators are the same as described above. It is important tonote that the orientation of-the radiators may change depending on theactual requirements of the power trailer. For example, if the powertrailer is intended to be used in an underground mine, where the speedof the power trailer is relatively low, it is not especially criticalwhat orientation the radiator is at, since an air fan provides theairflow through the coils. On the other hand, if the power trailer is tobe used on long-distance relatively fast runs on above ground roads,then natural air flow may be sufficient to provide enough coolingwithout requiring the use of an air fan. That would require the radiatorto be fully exposed to the airflow, so it needs to be mounted across theframe. An air scoop, although not illustrated, may be used to assist inthe airflow.

A plurality of different power trailer designs may be used in a singleroad train as illustrated in FIG. 11. A power trailer 146 having aforwardly mounted radiator system may be coupled behind prime mover 12and ordinary trailer 148 and 152 and tow an ordinary trailer 154 that iscoupled to a power trailer 150. The length of such a road train willdepend on the road conditions as well as local road rules. If however,the power trailer is used on private roads, there is no reason why suchas road train would not be able to operate with a plurality of powertrailers and trailers.

The control of the engine 68 of a powered trailer may be achieved byseveral different means. Much depends on the configuration of thetransmission system of the prime mover, the transmission system of thepowered trailer usually being an automatic one. Thus, there are severaloptions as to how the powered trailer may be controlled.

The first option is to have a synchronization control that synchronizesthe power output of the powered trailer to the prime mover. This is mostappropriate when both the prime mover and the power trailer haveautomatic transmissions. The horsepower of an engine is calculated asthe torque multiplied by the revolutions per minute (rpm) divided by aconstant. Torque is simply a function of the total fuel that the systemis provided with. It is therefore possible to synchronize the engines bythe torque of the powered trailer engine following the torque producedby the primary engine.

Engine on-board computer management systems, which allow one to measurethe torque of an engine, are well known. Typically, one measures theamount of fuel injected into the engine and monitors the rpm. There areknown data tables from which one can then calculate the torque basedupon the amount of fuel and the rpm. Each engine is unique in that oneengine may have a torque graph that is different to the other, but oncethe torque graph is known for an engine it is possible to calculatewithin a few percentage points of error what the torque is that theengine is producing. Engine management systems have been typically usedto improve engine efficiency by knowing how to work the engine so as toconserve fuel. For example, one may want to run the engine at low rpm soas to have gentle acceleration. The engine management system alsoprovides a memory so that one may store information as to the running ofthe engine over a set period of time, such as the last couple of hundredhours.

However, these engine management systems may be used to assist incontrolling a road-train having a prime mover and at least one poweredtrailer. The horsepower of the prime mover engine may be selected basedupon the load that the primary mover is expected to carry and it is easyto calculate the power per weight ration of the primary mover. The totalhorsepower of the powered trailer engine is then selected based upon thetotal load so that the power-to-weight ratio of the powered trailer isnever greater, and usually less, than that of the prime mover. Thisensures that under full throttle, the powered trailer does not exert asignificant pushing force on the prime mover that may effect its controland stability. Typical engine sizes for the prime mover may be around600 horsepower while those of the powered trailer some 400 horsepower.These engines although different utilize the same computer softwarewhich allow them to communicate. These commands are in the form ofpercentages of torque, and are sent to the secondary power trailerengine through a data link.

The power trailer typically has a hard-wired control circuit runningfrom a control panel mounted in the truck cab. This control panel givesthe driver the necessary feed back from the power unit in the form ofengine revolutions, oil pressure, coolant temperatures and other engineself-diagnostic features. The control panel houses the transmission gearselector and diagnostic display. The driver has the ability to shut theunit down at any time.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that engine managementsystems have the capability to control the total torque produced by anengine so that even if an engine is capable of a certain horsepower, theengine management system can ensure that the actual horsepower producedis less. That is, an engine may be de-torqued.

Accordingly, under normal operating conditions and wherein both theprime mover and the powered trailer utilize automatic transmissionshaving some five to ten gears the torque produced by the primary engineis measured and the data used to control the torque produced by thesecondary engine. Now in ideal systems there are automatic transmissionsboth in the first truck and the trailer. This is a good system when oneis dealing with automatic transmissions that may have 5 or 10 speeds.

However, engine management systems do add an operational complexity andrequire communication between the two engines. An alternative controlmeans is to directly control the torque of each engine by controllingthe amount of fuel injected by use of the accelerator pedal. It isknown-to use an accelerator pedal that is rotatably connected to anelectronic element such as a potentiometer. Such a potentiometer may becalibrated so that the amount of depression of the accelerator pedalequates to a percentage of either the torque or rpm of the engine. Thepresent invention provides for an accelerator pedal that controls twopotentiometers.

Illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a view of such an accelerator pedalarrangement 156 including a pedal 158 pivoted at 160 on a base 162. Abiasing means 164 having a rotatable wheel 166 is pivotably attached tothe pedal and rotates along arm 168 so as to provide resilience for thepedal in operation. Attached to the side of the pedal is a first housing170 and a second housing 172 separated by a spacer 174. Each housingincludes a potentiometer 176 having a slot 178 engaged by acorrespondingly shaped end 180 of shaft 182 so that as the shaft isrotated so is the potentiometer. The other end of shaft 182 includes aprojection 184 so shaped to fixedly engage the accelerator pedal so thatas the accelerator pedal is depressed, the shaft is caused to rotatethereby rotating the potentiometer. Screws 186 couple the potentiometerstogether.

Extending from the first potentiometer is cable 188 connected to thefirst engine, and extending from the second potentiometer is cable 190connected to the secondary or power trailer engine. The potentiometersmay be calibrated so that they work in unison and synchronise thetorques of each engine. The driver operates the accelerator pedal as pernormal, which controls both engines independently, but insynchronisation with each other.

A difficulty in using either the synchronization means or a dualpotentiometer accelerator pedal arises when the prime mover utilizes amanual transmission system. Currently some 95% of prime movers used onroads use a manual transmission system. It is therefore necessary toprovide for the control of a powered trailer having an automatictransmission and that can be used when coupled to a prime mover having amanual transmission.

If a torque controller was used, when the prime mover driver is gearingup they naturally reduce the throttle or “take their foot of the pedal”.At that instant, the torque produced by the prime mover or primaryengine is decreased and the synchronization means would then decreasethe torque produced by the secondary engine on the powered trailer. Butthe secondary engine would then gear down in contrast to the primaryengine where the reason for reducing the throttle would be to move up agear. When the driver has finally engaged up a gear on the prime moverthe powered trailer engine will then try and also move up a gear. Thisoscillating of the powered trailer transmission unnecessarily loads itand is clearly undesirable.

The primary engine generally has up to 18 gears as compared to thesecondary automatic transmission engine that may have up to 10 gears.Those skilled in the art would therefore immediately appreciate thatsynchronization of engine torques when the engines have differenttransmission systems is not appropriate.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, when a automatic transmission power traileris used with a prime mover having a manual transmission a secondarycontrol panel 192 is provided to the driver of the prime mover and bywhich the driver independently controls the engine on the power trailer.Such a mechanism would communicate with the power trailer engine viacables 194 and 196.

The driver of such a road-train would have a specific operatingprocedure that would instruct them how a manual throttle controlledpower trailer was to be operated. For a typical fully loaded road-trainthe control may be as follows:

-   -   1. The trailer ignition key 198 on the control panel in the        truck cab is turned on, and the hand throttle 200 must be in the        idle position, hard forward. The engine may or may not be        started from the cab.    -   2. If the engine is not to be started from the cab the operator        must walk back and make a visual check of the power trailer. The        engine can then only be started from the control compartment 116        on the trailer. A operating key is turned on and to engage the        drive in the differential system.    -   3. After the engine is started, the driver observes diagnostic        gauges, such as oil and air pressure, coolant and oil        temperatures located in the compartments 116 or 117. The driver        carries out a visual check of the powered trailer. They then        return to the cab and observe the trailer control panel for        various warning lamps 202 and ensure that the revolutions        counter 204 indicates that the engine is idling at the        appropriate revolutions typically 700. The truck or prime mover        engine is then started as per normal operating procedures.    -   4. To engage the trailer in drive mode, the driver applies        brakes either by foot pedal or hand control, and select the        drive button “D” 206 on the control panel that places the        trailer transmission into drive mode. An indication number will        appear in the LED display 208. The driver then selects low gear        in the truck transmission and just prior to engaging the clutch,        brings the trailer engine up to approximately 1000-RPM with hand        throttle 200 and drive off as normal, changing up through the        gears. When the truck transmission is in a higher gear, such as        3^(rd) gear the driver brings the trailer engine up to full        throttle. This places the trailer into full power mode and        assists the truck to keep momentum as the truck engine is backed        off for each manual gear change.    -   5. The driver must be aware of the extra control panel that        displays warning lamps 202 and rev counter 204 similar to those        normally found in the truck cab. The truck and trailer rev        counters give the driver an indication how the power trailer is        performing. The trailer engine will be revving higher in most        cases than the truck engine by some 200 to 300 RPM. This depends        on the gears selected in the truck and trailer.    -   6. The trailer engine can be shut down at any time from the key        198 on the cab control panel, if an emergency arises on the        road.    -   7. After a load has been delivered the power trailer engine may        be turned off when returning to collect a new load.

Fail-safe mechanisms may be introduced so that if for whatever reasonthe primary engine stopped running, then the secondary engine would alsoturn off or at least its transmission would decouple to prevent thepower trailer form pushing the road-train and the driver loosingcontrol. An over-ride control may be provided in circumstances where thepower trailer was coupled directly behind the prime mover and where thecontrol of the road-train was still possible. Under these conditions thesecondary engine of the power trailer would enable the road-train to bedriven to a suitable repair facility. This in itself is an advantage ofusing a power trailer in a road-train

One can therefore appreciate that the present invention provides for aroad-train that is capable of hauling heavier loads especially inunderground mines with the use of a power trailer(s). The power trailerincludes a cooling means separated from the engine and of a size andposition to provide for additional cooling. The use of such powertrailers has great advantages for a number of reasons.

Firstly in shaft mines, a vertical shaft is used to bring mine ore outof the mine to the surface, whereas trucks are typically used in declinemines to haul out the mined ore. Additionally, in shaft mines, truckstypically operate on a given level within the mine and may spend asignificant portion of the total utilisation time of the truck idling orwaiting, for instance time spent being loaded and unloaded. In contrast,trucks used in decline mines typically spend a significantly higher timeactually operating as trucks, particularly in very deep mines havingvery long exit inclines requiring significant travel time. In view ofthe foregoing, the power to weight ratio is a more importantconsideration in decline mines, and therefore the use of themulticombination vehicles with power trailers results in a greateradvantage in decline mines, particularly those that are very deep.Without the additional cooling means the trucks would overheat and wouldnot be able to travel up an incline for a significant period of time.

There are also issues of ventilation. Hauling a ton of ore out of adecline mine takes a given amount of energy per ton per kilometer. It isnoted that the average engine efficiency, of conventional engines, isapproximately 34%, which results in a lot of wasted energy in the formof hot air exhausted into the mine. Conventional trucks have a poorpower-to-weight ratio, as compared to the power-to-weight ratio of apowered trailer according to the present invention. Existing truckstherefore result in more hot air being exhausted into the mine per tonof hauled ore and therefore require more relatively cold ventilation airto be pumped into the mine via a ventilation shaft. It is noted thatdrilling a ventilation shaft is a major cost in an underground mine.

The present invention also assists in road maintenance in undergroundmines as well as the road wear on above ground roads. The use of aroad-train having a power trailer may permit increased use of blacktoproads in underground mines due to the weight per axle loading. Standardarticulated trucks may have a loading greater than 33 tons/axle, whereasa road-train may have a lading of about 10 tons/axle. Because of theheavier loading on articulated dump trucks, they are prone to tearing upblacktop roads, which may preclude their use. In lieu of the blacktoproads, clay and gravel roads are used which must be grated and treatedwith water for safety purposes, to keep down the dust from the road.Accordingly use of a power trailer can permit the use of blacktop roads,and therefore reduce the cost of road maintenance.

Another reason why the power trailer is important in underground minesis that there is the additional traction by significantly more axlesbeing driven.

The use of a powered trailer in a road-train also increases theeffective depth of a mine and thus increased the value of a particularmine. Typically if it is known that an ore extends to say a certaindepth such as 1000 meters, the mine operators would typically use avertical shaft to haul out the ore since this method is relativelyinexpensive. However, in some instance the operators may mineprogressively deeper levels within the mine and extract the ore usingtrucks. If this approach is used initially, by the time the operatorsbecome aware of the ultimate depth of the ore, a significant amount ofore may have been mined which means that the operators may no longer beable to justify the cost of drilling a vertical shaft to extract theore. By providing a more efficient trucking system by using a poweredtrailer having a superior cooling means, the operator can continue tooperate the mine at a deeper level, therefore effectively increasing thedepth of the ore available to the mine operator thereby increasing thevalue of the project. Current typical limits of mine depth are some 600meters.

Thus one can see that the present invention teaches a multi-combinationvehicle consisting of a powered prime mover, at least one poweredtrailer and which may include a number of non-powered trailers. Thepowered trailer(s) are controlled either by a synchronization system, adual-pot accelerator pedal or by a manual control in the truck cab. Thechoice depends on whether the transmission system of the truck is amanual or an automatic one. If the truck transmission is automatic thenby one can use torque synchronizing either by an engine managementsystem or by using a common accelerator pedal. By ensuring that theoperation of the engines on the prime mover and the powered trailer aresynchronized, the problems of take-off of a fully loaded vehicle arereduced, as is the potential damage to transmissions and differentials.If the truck transmission is manual then it is preferred to use a manualthrottle control for the powered trailer.

While the foregoing description has set forth the preferred embodimentsof the present invention in some detail, it is to be understood thatnumerous modifications, obvious to a person skilled in the art, may bemade without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by theensuing claims. It is therefore to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the specific embodiments as herein described.

1. A multi-combination vehicle for use in transporting a product overroadways, said vehicle comprising: a powered towing unit having achassis, a cab, a forward, wheeled steering axle suspended from saidchassis and a rear axle assembly having at least one wheeled axle andsuspended from said chassis by a rear suspension system, said wheeledaxles supporting the powered unit for movement over the roadways,wherein at least one of said wheeled axles comprises a driving axle,said powered towing unit further including a first source of motivepower mounted on said chassis and first means for transmitting torquefrom said first source of motive power to said at least one drivingaxle, said first torque transmitting means including a manualtransmission; and a powered trailer mechanically coupled to said poweredtowing unit and including a chassis, a load-carrying body mounted on anddisposed above said chassis, and at least one wheeled, driven axle beingsuspended from said chassis of said powered trailer, said poweredtrailer including a second source of motive power mounted on saidchassis and second means for transmitting torque from said second sourceof motive power to said at least one driving axle, said second torquetransmitting means including an automatic transmission, said poweredtrailer further including cooling means mounted on said chassis remotefrom said second source of motive power, said cooling means being influid communication with said second source of motive power, saidpowered towing unit further including first engine control means forcontrolling said first source of motive power, said first engine controlmeans being located in said powered towing unit cab, said poweredtrailer further including second engine control means for controllingsaid second source of motive power, said second engine control meansbeing located in said powered towing unit cab, said second control meanscomprising a manual hand throttle.
 2. The multi-combination vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein said cooling means is located at the side of saidpowered trailer.
 3. The multi-combination vehicle of claim 1, whereinsaid cooling means is located at the rear of said powered trailer. 4.The multi-combination vehicle of claim 1, including fail-safe means forstopping said second source of motive power when said first source ofmotive power stops running.
 5. The multi-combination vehicle of claim 1,wherein said powered trailer includes a load-carrying body mounted anddisposed above said chassis.
 6. The multi-combination vehicle of claim1, wherein said powered towing unit comprises a rigid body truck andsaid first source of motive power comprises an internal combustionengine.
 7. The multi-combination vehicle of claim 1, wherein saidpowered trailer second source of motive power comprises an internalcombustion engine.
 8. The multi-combination vehicle of claim 1, whereinlocated between the powered towing unit and said powered trailer is afirst trailer, said powered trailer being mechanically coupled to saidfirst trailer.
 9. A multi-combination vehicle, comprising: a prime moverincluding a first engine located on said prime mover, said prime moverhaving a prime mover power-to-weight ratio; a trailer mechanicallycoupled to said prime mover and including a second engine located onsaid trailer, said trailer having a trailer power-to-weight ratio, saidtrailer including cooling means disposed remote from said second engine;and electronic control means adapted to operatively couple said firstand second engine sources, said control means being adapted to directlycontrol the torque output of said first and second engines, said controlmeans being further adapted to control said trailer power-to-weightratio whereby said trailer power-to-weight ratio is never greater thansaid prime mover power-to-weight ratio.